While watching the annual NFL draft this past week, I couldn't help but think how the high school student-athlete goes through the highs and lows of a season just like these aspiring pro football players. Regardless of your sport, you face similar emotions of those hoping to be drafted.

Let's say you are a high school football player(but the same can be applied to all sports), and you have prepared all summer long for the next season. There are no guarantees of where you may end up once the season begins.

What if there is a move in at your position? What if you think you are going to be an offensive player and the coach switches you to defense? What if you get injured? In other words, you can work the whole off-season and everything could change in a split second.

These college players waiting to be selected for the draft went through a wide range of emotions over those three days(just like you do during your sports season), especially those that expected to be drafted and were not. In other words, they had very little control, if any, over where they were going to end up.

The only control you have as an athlete at any level is how you prepare and train for your sport. That's why it is so important that you take no shortcuts and take nothing for granted. You control your work ethic, ability, and attitude, but the coaches determine how you fit in!

In an ongoing effort to minimize the risk of injury in high school wrestling, additional time will be given to evaluate head and neck injuries when an appropriate health-care professional is present at a match.